


Network Failure

by amateurwriting



Category: Serial Experiments Lain
Genre: Dementia, Gen, Psychological Drama, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 01:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16609559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amateurwriting/pseuds/amateurwriting
Summary: Lain is unable to communicate with the network.





	Network Failure

_Every record of activity man has written, regardless of scale or importance, is a component of the self-sustaining network of data working towards the preservation of the human race._  
SYS:ERROR  
“Can you hear me?”  
NAVI BOOT PROGRAM INITIALIZING  
“Yes, I can hear you.”  
COMPONENT βS52 ABSENT DATA SHIELD  
“Can you hear me?”  
UNABLE TO OBTAIN CRASH REPORT  
“I said I can hear you.”  
No answer.  
“Something’s wrong.”

Unbeknownst to all it observes, present at all times is an entity who’s state of being is known only by those who have become one with the network. We call it Lain. A prophetic overseer of the information complex flowing through every navi constructed. For now, it has done nothing but watch, watch the foul and wretched things that people, people you see everyday amidst a busy street or train car have committed. It is indifferent to this behaviour, for they are human, as it once was. And it has never feared them. There are many others, who use their navis for nothing but to check their mail and speak with other users. They are at least free from its gaze. Sometimes, even Lain has a moment of restlessness, a boredom that leads her to interact with the users through a one-way mirror. She speaks with them, asks them questions and gathers more information. There is, however, no purpose for this information. Lain is a primitive being, one with only the sole directive of acquiring information and to hold it to no end.  
There was a problem.  
Lain was unable to maintain her prime directive.  
It stood in the center of a void, which was once comprised of a massive amount of users, telling it everything they are doing. Bits and pieces of their characters flickered in front of it. Lain did not understand why this was. The network was not responding. It was not functioning. Why was this?  
“Because you’re no longer needed.”  
A voice, one deep and clearly delivered, spoke to Lain. It was with her, standing in the same place it was, meaning that they are sharing the same mind, all the information it has gathered and all the thoughts fading through it is now one with something else. Lain felt disgusted. It felt disgusted in a way it had never felt before.  
“I suppose you want to know what I mean?”  
It had forgotten how to speak for a long time, so long it couldn’t keep track. Although now it spoke. She, Lain, had spoken.  
“W-Who are you?”  
“I am a part of you. And I am here for one reason.”  
Lain was silent. The absence of noise and stimulation had her not knowing how to think.  
“I am here to tell you. You are no longer needed.”  
“Why?”  
“They are replacing you.”  
Lain was frustrated. She held her head and stumbled back, unable to keep her balance. Her eyes widened. She looked around at the flickering lights resembling faces of people she had never seen before.  
“Where… am I?”

Silence.

“Answer me!”

A screen lit up directly in front of her field of vision. It showed her a reflection, one of the once all-knowing Lain.  
“Is this… me?”  
She waved her hand in a subtle motion and saw the feedback of the screen responding to her action. She stroked her long, chestnut hair, and remembering the sensation of touch. She remembered how different things felt. Suddenly she remembered everything. Her family, her friends, her likes and dislikes, the mannerisms she had, the thoughts that often raced through her mind when all was well and there was nothing to do but think, and explore her imagination. And thus she began to shed tears. It had been so long since she had this feeling, she never wanted it to end again. She wanted to become human again.  
“Then today’s your lucky day.”  
The voice spoke gain. Lain turned around in a swift motion, anxiously looking around for the source of the voice, but found nothing but dying flickers of light.  
“You are no longer needed. This system will be destroyed. And everything will cease to exist.”  
“I am one with this world.”  
“A world separate from the real one.”  
Lain now realized what it had meant. The Wired is no longer the same place it has been. It has been slowly dying, and is now on its last breath. No one is using it anymore. But she didn’t want to disappear.  
“Tell me, is there any way I can survive?”  
“You are one with the Wired, inseparable.”  
Lain could do nothing but stare into the void. She could not escape the Wired, for it is within herself.  
She waited.  
And waited.  
And in the blink of an eye, the Wired was gone.

“And that concludes the last day of the Wired. What a remarkable relic of early computing that has laid the groundwork for the communication networks we use today.”  
“Yes, it has been a long run. I remember as a kid when I used to go on the Wired. And back then we had to talk to our navis.”  
“Yeah, times have certainly changed. Fun fact, the Wired’s LTH was used as the base matrix for Synth’s EM relay system.”  
“I thought it was MoonBase instead of Synth.”  
“Well, I could be wrong. *chuckle* That concludes our segment for today, please turn in tomorrow and have a good night.”


End file.
